We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heidi Scott Giusto, PhD. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heidi below.

Hi Heidi, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When I was in graduate school at Duke University, I worked at the Writing Studio as a Writing Consultant. This was a job most graduate students had for a semester, maybe two, because they needed money. Usually, they went on to take other assignments more aligned with becoming a scholar and professor—things like becoming a Teaching, Grading, or Research Assistant. I also had those types of roles before starting at the Writing Studio, but I started declining them … semester after semester.

I learned that I loved working with writers! I especially relished working with people on their personal statements and career documents—when it really mattered.

I began to have the awkward realization that I didn’t want to become a history professor! For perspective, earning a history PhD often takes 6-8 years.

After much contemplation and career exploration, I realized I wanted to own my own communications consulting firm that catered to people who felt like they needed help communicating when it mattered most.

To make a long story short, I developed the idea, gained additional training in writing career documents like resumes and cover letters, graduated with my PhD, and launched my consulting company offering writing and editing services for both business professionals and academics.

I had my first client on the day after I launched in April 2013, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Career Path Writing Solutions helps people communicate when it matters most. As the owner and operator, I offer career consulting services, book writing and editing services, and workshops in those areas. To this, I bring expertise as a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Interview Coach, Certified DISC Communications Consultant, and Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert. For book projects, I specialize in business, leadership, and self-help books. My approach is highly collaborative, and clients know they are never just a number to me.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I previously mentioned that my original career path was to become a Professor of History. I’ll expand on that here. I was four years into a program that ultimately took me seven years to complete when I began realizing I wanted something different. I literally felt sick to my stomach when I would think about getting a tenure-track teaching job. While I will always love history, what I wanted had changed.

I wrestled with this fact and accepted that I had new goals. As I finished the PhD (I knew I’d never regret having a PhD from Duke, and the professors and program were fantastic), I also quietly charted my course.

I’m grateful I was able to launch my business and continue to run and grow it for more than 12 years. It’s also gratifying to know that I’ve been able to play a small part in helping thousands of people execute their mission in life.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I bootstrapped my business, so I have never attempted to raise capital. My goal starting out was to have Career Path Writing Solutions bring in at least what I was earning in graduate school and grow from there. I was able to do that my first year and continue to grow thereafter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.careerpathwritingsolutions.com
• Facebook: Career Path Writing Solutions (company name)
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidigiustophd/

Image Credits

Kathleen Lucey Photography